


everything will be alright (if you keep me next to you)

by gleesquid



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bat Family, Bisexual Female Character, F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, Non-Graphic Violence, Pre-New 52
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6129766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleesquid/pseuds/gleesquid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephanie and Cassandra have been living together for a whole week before Stephanie realizes something horrible. </p><p>“We’ve never done anything together,” she says.</p><p>Or: five times Steph and Cass accidentally go on a date, and one time they totally on purpose go on a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	everything will be alright (if you keep me next to you)

**Author's Note:**

> My first time ever contributing to Femslash February, my first time publishing any femslash at all, my first time publishing a fic for something other than Glee or Harry Potter (which I haven't even done in, like, 3 years). To new beginnings, my friends. 
> 
> This takes place pre-reboot and has Steph and Cass living together but it's probably sort of AU because I didn't pay superb attention to details of canon. 
> 
> Title shamelessly taken from Taylor Swift.
> 
>  
> 
> talk about batgirls with me at hamiltonsghost.tumblr.com <3

I. 

 

Stephanie and Cassandra have been living together for a whole week before Stephanie realizes something horrible. 

“We’ve never done anything together,” she says, looking up at Cass, who sits watching the news because she, like 98% of people who ally themselves with the big Bat, is super boring. 

Cass doesn’t even spare her a glance. “We just got back from fighting gangsters.” 

Steph throws a pillow, which she aptly dodges. Steph sort of hates her.

“You know what I _mean_. We fight bad guys and come back here and sleep. Rinse and repeat. We never do anything else.” 

“Fighting bad guys take a lot of energy.”

“Um, for me maybe. I’ve seen you take out twenty guys and go for a cool down jog after, which just. Gross, by the way.” 

Cass smirks. 

“Come on,” Stephanie presses. “Tim and I used to, you know, hang out together. In costume. Out of it. Because we were friends.” 

More than anything else, they were friends. Steph ignores the way her chest feels like its ripping itself apart. 

Cassandra watches her as if she wants to reach out and take her hand, but she’s not sure if she should. Steph plasters on a million watt smile that only feels a little forced. 

“Let’s go see a movie,” she says. “Something dumb without any big action scenes and we can forget about Gotham for one night and just be friends.” 

Cassandra won’t look at her, and Stephanie knows she’s won. 

She crawls forward so she’s right in front of Cass, blocking the TV, and puts her hands on her face, forcing those dark brown eyes to meet hers. 

“Let’s see a movie,” she whispers. “For the love of god. Please.” 

Cass manages to hold her ground for about three more seconds before she sighs and Steph whoops and throws her arms around her neck. 

They end up at the local theatre watching some Will Ferrell film that’s already been out for over a month. Steph keeps sneaking glances at Cass, her face glowing as the light from the screen flickers, mouth a bit open in awe. Steph realizes, slowly, that she can’t remember if Cass has ever mentioned movies to her before. She’s caught her watching Netflix once or twice, but mostly it’s the news, if anything. She wonders if Cass got that from Bruce, who she’s sure only watches security cameras for entertainment, or Barbara, who probably thinks politics are fun. Even the boys can kind of be stick in the muds when it comes to pop culture. They’re so isolated from everything normal people enjoy, and maybe that works for them, but Stephanie will not lose her love of cheap movies and waffles and window-shopping to become one of the bat bots, no sir. 

They laugh harder than the film deserves. It feels like a beginning. 

 

II. 

 

It’s the middle of the night and, for the life of her, Steph can’t seem to fall asleep. It was a long day. Her mom called. Apparently her dad was asking for her, but no one is going to force her to visit. She’s not obligated. Steph wants to believe that, she does, but being anyone’s daughter kind of feels like an obligation. 

Then, right after her talk with her mom, she called Tim, because she just has the greatest ideas all the time. She could only listen to his cool, measured voice saying, “Hello?”before she hung up and buried her phone under a pillow. 

If he asked, she would say she butt dialed him. He probably wouldn’t ask though. He would have, before, definitely. Not now.

That’s okay. People change, they grow apart, and she doesn’t find pleasure in imagining all the horrendous ways Tim could break his nose anymore, so that’s something. Progress. 

Steph tosses her blankets off her body angrily, officially giving up on sleep. It’ll hurt like a bitch tomorrow evening when she’s on patrol, but there’s no use trying to force it. It’ll just make her miserable. 

She should embroider that on a pillow.

She pulls herself out onto the fire escape and climbs up to the roof with ease. It’s in moments like these when she realizes that all the training she’s done with Cass and Tim and Bruce and Babs, all the extra hours she’s put in at the gym when all she wants is to go home and eat a whole pizza, it’s all actually _mattered._ Her body is different than it was when she was just a kid in a purple hood trying to be a hero. She’s different. 

She reaches the roof and, with a start, sees she’s not alone. Cass sits cross-legged, staring out across the Gotham skyline. She’s wearing black pajama pants with tiny yellow Batman symbols on them. It’s adorable. 

“Can’t sleep?” Steph asks, settling down next to Cass. Their shoulders don’t quite brush. 

“My mind is busy,” Cass says, and Steph smiles. Cass may not be as eloquent as Tim, but she has this ability to put things into words, things Steph wasn’t even aware she couldn’t explain. 

“Mine, too,” she says.

They stare out at Gotham, a sea of light under the dark sky. 

“I come up here sometimes,” Cass says, voice barely a breath over the sound of early morning traffic. “To see if maybe I can get close enough to see the stars. It’s impossible.” 

Steph glances up at the sky and sure enough, it’s smoky and black and there are no stars to be seen. 

“Light pollution,” Steph agrees. The truth is, she’s never thought much about the stars. She was born and raised in Gotham and she’s never known anything different than a big city. And she’s never really wanted to. For all the shit it’s put her through, she loves Gotham. But Cass isn’t from here, she remembers. Gotham isn’t in her bones, in her blood, the way it is for Steph and Tim. For Bruce even. 

Funny, Steph never thought she’d have anything in common with _Bruce._

“I read once that space is, like, only an hour’s drive away,” she says, “if your car could drive straight up, that is.” 

“We should ask Superman to take us,” says Cass. 

“Or Super _boy.”_ Steph nudges Cass a little and laughs when her cheeks turn a faint pink. Cass has always had a bit of a _thing_ for Kon, and even though nothing really came from their brief fling, even though it’s been over for a long time, Steph thinks she’ll always have a bit of a _thing._

God, Steph knows that song and dance too well. 

“What would you do?” Cass asks. “If you went to space?” 

“Go find Pluto and let it know that I’ve got its back,” she says automatically. “No matter what anyone says, I still believe its a planet. How ‘bout you?” 

Cass thinks about it, staring at the sky like she can see all the way to the planets and beyond.

“I think I would find a meteor shower,” she says, “and watch it up close.” 

Steph grins and thinks about how wonderful it is that someone who dresses in head to toe black could be so fascinated with the stars. 

 

III. 

 

“What are you doing after this?” Steph asks, punching a mobster in the jaw. 

Cass does a roundhouse kick, sending a dude through the flimsy plaster wall. “Um, sleeping?” 

“You wanna go grab a bite to eat?” 

_“Unless you brought a change of clothes — which you didn’t — you better not,”_ Oracle’s voice crackles in her ear. 

“We can always count on O to ruin someone’s fun,” Steph says and Cass smirks. 

The mobster Steph just sent sprawling has gotten back up and tries to attack her from behind. 

“You wanna dance, pretty girl?” he breathes in her ear. “Let’s dance.”

“I was trying to avoid this, but you just made it weird.” Steph spins around and knees him in the groin. When he’s bent over, Cass knees him in the nose and he passes out cold.

“Creep,” she says, scowling down at his lifeless form.

Steph reaches over to wipe a sticky strip of blood from Cass’ lip. “I had it handled,” she says, but smiles all the same.

“Drive-thru?” Steph asks as they start to tie up the guys for the police.

_“Stephanie.”_

“Want anything, O?”

_“. . .French fries, please. But don’t think I approve.”_

“I would never.”

The comm goes silent. Steph and Cass go out to where Steph’s bike is parked, resting up against the curb.

“Wanna hitch a ride?”

“Only if I get to drive.”

Cass has an eyebrow arched in a dangerous challenge, but Steph can tell she’s about a minute away from cracking up.

“By all means.” Steph gestures and Cass climbs on, only a small smirk betraying her giddiness. There’s something about her on Steph’s bike, the smooth lines of her leather-clad body, her gloved hands stretching around the handle bars. It lights something hot in Steph’s gut.

Steph tosses her the keys, and climbs on behind her. She places her hands on Cass’ waist, then wraps her arms around her, so her front is pressed to Cass’ back. She thinks she can feel her heartbeat. 

“Ready, Batgirl?" Cass asks, revving the engine once. 

“Hell yeah,” Steph breathes and then they’re flying. 

 

IV. 

 

Stephanie walks out of her last class of the day, exhausted down to her bones. Her political science exam nearly killed her and she just wants to go to sleep or beat the shit out of a rapist or something. The nighttime can’t come too soon. 

In the parking lot, she sees a familiar figure leaning against her crappy car and, despite herself, she breaks into a grin.

“Look who the bat dragged in,” Steph says. Cass glares at her, but there’s no real heat behind it. She just tosses a coke at Steph and holds up a bag of donut holes.

“Oh my god, I love you,” Steph says. She almost misses the slight flush across Cass’ cheeks.

They climb into the car. Steph cranks up the air conditioning as high as it will go (which isn’t very high) and then, after a moment, puts the car in reverse.

Cass looks at her, a question in her eyes.

“I’m sick of this place,” Steph explains. Cass squeezes her hand for a moment and Steph smiles at her.

They drive to a small park near Steph’s school. A group of preteen boys shoot hoops on the basketball court. A girl and her grandpa fly a kite against the bright sky. Steph glances at the swing set and remembers another park, another time, with a purple hood and a boy dressed in red, a sweet kiss underneath all the stars the suburbs had to offer, and she thinks the memory might make her nearly more happy than sad now. That’s a good thing. It really is.

Steph and Cass sit on a green expanse of grass, not caring about the possible stains on their jeans. They eat the donut holes and drink their cokes and let the sun warm their faces and shoulders.

“I’m stuffed,” Cass says when the bag of donut holes is empty. She falls back on the grass, black hair fanning out around her face.

“You’re weak,” Steph says, laying down by her side. “Those weren’t even real donuts.”

“I ate before I got here,” Cass says.

“So did I,” Steph says and they giggle.

“God, it’s a beautiful day,” Steph sighs. “I could stay here forever.”

“Me too.”

Steph turns her head and Cass is already watching her. She doesn’t look away.

 

V. 

 

Steph isn’t sure how she wound up at a 24-hour waffle house at five in the morning with her best friend, ex-boyfriend (who also happens to be said best friend’sbrother), and freaking Superboy of all people but somehow that’s exactly what’s happened. 

Steph and Cass went patrolling and then Cass stayed up with Steph while she finished working on an essay she had to get done, and by then Steph was so caffeinated she couldn’t sleep at all, so she pestered Cass into going out for waffles with her. And then who should they run into right outside the door but Timothy Jackson Drake and Kon-El or Conner Kent or whatever his hame is. 

The conversation went something like this: 

“Tim! Wow! Hi!” 

“Steph — I didn’t expect —,” 

“Hi, Kon.” 

“Hey, Cass, how are you?” 

“I’m well, thank you. Hi, Tim.” 

“Cass — did you two come together?” 

“No, Tim, we just live together and accidentally ended up at the same waffle house at five in the morning —,” 

“Steph, be nice.” 

“Since we’re all here, we should grab a table.” 

The table feels crowded even though it’s a fine size for four young superheroes. Steph is grateful for the escape from awkward attempts at conversation when the waffles come. She and Kon immediately begin to chow down, whereas Tim and Cass manage to have a little more decorum about it all. Damn pretentious Waynes.

“These are really good,” Kon says around a mouthful of strawberry waffles. Tim wrinkles his lip in disgust, but Steph totally gets it. 

“I know right,” she says. “This is my favorite place in Gotham.” 

“I should definitely come here more often,” Kon agrees and Steph doesn’t miss the way his eyes linger a little on Tim.

She glances at Cass, and sees her watching the pair in interest. Cass looks back at Steph and smiles a little and Steph thinks, _This is okay. I’m okay._

At one point, Steph excuses herself to use the small, single stall restroom. On her way out, she nearly runs into Tim.

“Whoa.” He reaches out as if to steady her, but she’s not the girl he used to know, and she’s already found her balance.

“Kon and I are gonna head out,” he says. “I already got the bill —,”

“You didn’t have to —,”

“I wanted to.”

They stand in the old hallway of the waffle house and look at each other. Steph thinks that Tim is so handsome, even though he looks like he hasn’t cut his hair in ten years, and it gives her a little pang in her chest. Not a pang of hurt or passion or longing, but a pang of memory. She misses him, she realizes. Not the kisses and the dating, not the mind-blowing sadness they sometimes make each other feel, but the other stuff. She misses swing sets at night and silly phone conversations and the boy who made her feel like a superhero.

“We should hang out,” Steph says, words tumbling from her mouth before she can stop them. “Go to a — movie, or the arcade, or something.”

Tim’s eyes sparkle. “If you’re not too busy with Cass, that is.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk.” Steph shoves him, a little too hard, and he sways. “I guess it’s the season for big gay awakenings.” She thinks for a moment. “Bisexual awakenings.”

“Who’s to say I haven’t already had my big bisexual awakening?” Tim asks.

Steph goes to shove him again and he dodges out of the way, almost running into an old woman who swings at him with her purse.

“Timothy, you _sly dog,_ ” Steph hisses as the woman passes. They grin at each other. “You’ll have to tell me all about it. In detail.” She waggles her eyebrows.

Tim rolls his eyes, but a blush spreads up his cheeks that she delights in. “We’ll see. See ya later, Steph.”

“Bye, Tim. Thanks for the waffles.”

She stays in the hallway until she’s certain he’s gone, and longer after that. Finally, she goes to find Cass, who waits at the table where she left her.

“Are you okay?” Cass asks, dark eyes warm and kind and belonging to Cassandra Cain, which is what makes them the best of all.

“Let’s go home,” Steph says. Cass’ smile gives the rising sun a run for its money.

 

I. 

 

Steph is sweating. She hates it. She hates that she can feel the perspiration on the back of her neck and on the palms of her handseven though it’s kind of chilly tonight. She stands outside the big wooden door, tossing the bouquet of yellow and purple daisies from hand to hand. Her phone buzzes and she fumbles for itfrom her coat pocket. 

_just ring the doorbell,_ it reads.

Steph huffs as another text comes through.

_ur the one who insisted u pick me up at the manor_

Steph rolls her eyes and rings the doorbell. Cass immediately opens the door. She’s wearing a black dress, short but with a modest neckline, and strappy black heels. Her glossy hair is pinned away from her face. She’s even wearing a little makeup, mascara and a smudge of eyeliner and a touch of shiny lipgloss.

_Damn,_ Steph thinks. 

“I wanted to be classy,” she says. 

“You look nice,” Cass says. 

Steph is wearing her fanciest dress, a deep purple, a little too tight, and a little too low-cut. It makes her boobs look awesome. She’s let her hair down in carefully sculpted waves (she was trying for an up-do, but it didn’t work) and she knows this eyeshadow makes her eyes look hella blue.

“Do I?” Steph asks with a grin and Cass just rolls her eyes. 

Steph glances over Cass’ shoulder and, with a start, sees Bruce Wayne hovering there. 

“Um. These are for you.” She hands the bouquet to Cass, not taking her eyes off Bruce. 

“Thank you. They’re beautiful. Bruce, would you hold these for me?”

Bruce takes the daisies, and they somehow don’t make him any less intimidating. 

“Have her home by ten,” he says. 

“Yes, sir,” says Steph, and she practically drags Cass from the doorway, slamming the door behind her. 

“I thought he was bad when I started dating Tim . . .” she mumbles.

“He’s joking,” Cass says, but Steph isn’t so sure. 

They ride in Steph’s crappy car (which, okay, next time they are totally taking one of Bruce’s super expensive cars he doesn’t even use) to the movie theatre. 

“Aren’t we a little overdressed?” Cass asks as they climb out. 

Steph teeters in her heels. How the hell does Catwoman traipse across Gotham’s rooftops in these things? 

“We’ll go somewhere fancy for dinner,” Steph says, leading the way into the theatre. “But for now, let me be a sentimental loser and commemorate our first unofficial date with our first official date.” 

They see a cheap horror movie with aliens that eat people. It’s not half as interesting as the girl next to her, who watches the movie unflinchingly, who eats one kernel of popcorn at a time, whose hand is laying on the center divide all lonely and inviting. 

Cass leans over to Stephanie, warm lips brushing against her ear. “You can hold my hand if you want.” 

Steph rolls her eyes and takes Cass’ hand. She locks their fingers together and whispers, “If you knew I wanted to, you could have done it first.” Cass just smiles. 

When the movie ends, they let go of each other’s hands to throw away their popcorn and drinks. But the moment their hands are free again, Cass slides hers back into place. Steph feels warm even when they walk out into the cold night. 

“Fancy dinner now?” Cass asks. 

“Totally.” 

Fancy dinner turns out to be the pizza place at the mall (but, hey, at least its sit-down). They sit across from each other and blush when the waiter, who is totally not paid enough for this, brings a discounted bottle of cheap champagne “for the young lovers.” 

“I don’t turn twenty-one until August,” Steph says, accepting the glass Cass offers her. 

“Like you’ve never drank illegally before.” 

“And I’m driving,” she adds. 

Cass frowns. When the waiter comes back, she whispers something to him, and he beams. He returns withstrawberries that have been cut into hearts and drizzled with chocolate sauce, a dish definitely not on the menu. Steph’s face is on fire. She thanks the waiter, who winks at her as he collects the champagne glasses. 

The rest of the night passes too quickly in between pizza and strawberries and smiles that are just a bit flirtier than they’ve ever let them be before. 

Cass reaches for her wallet when the check comes, but Steph says, “No, I’ve got it,” whipping out some cash (with a big tip, because that waiter was awesome). 

“Stephanie —,” 

“You’ll pay next time. And since your dad is the richest dude in Gotham, it better be a heck of a lot better than this.”

“Hey.” Cass grabs Steph’s hand and their eyes meet like magnets. “This was perfect.” 

_You’re perfect,_ Steph thinks, but there is no way she’s far gone enough to say that out loud. Not yet, at least. 

They drive back to the manor, but Steph parks just outside the gate. Cass sends her a questioning look.

“There is no way I’m doing this where Bruce Wayne can see,” Steph says, and she leans over and kisses Cassandra Cain. It’s like a sparkler has exploded on her lips, but more than that, it’s like watching the city from the rooftop of her apartment, like whipping through the night on a motorcycle, like eating donut holes in the park, or realizing she’s not sad anymore. It’s new, and it’s so familiar, and Steph thinks they were always, always leading to this. 

Cass pulls away first, but not far. Her smile is soft and her eyes are alive. 

“Goodnight, Stephanie,” she whispers. There’s a faint smell of pizza and strawberries on her breath. 

“Goodnight, Cassandra.” 

Cass gets out of the car and walks through the gate to Wayne Manor. Stephanie lets herself smile as big as she wants, buries her head in her arms across the top of her steering wheel, and waits. 

Ten minutes later, she gets a call. 

“Will you come get me so we can go home now?” Cass asks. Steph’s laugh is unbridled as she puts the car in drive. 


End file.
